"What?" he asked.
Cheng Yunzhi told him Jiang Lin's suggestion, "What do you think?"
Cheng Rushan nodded: "I think it's good. The brigade uses our yard and gives us compensation, so that my parents don't have to work and can rest at home."
In fact, he doesn’t care whether there is a yard or not, as long as there is enough space to live in.
In the past, his only goal was to take off his hat, so that the dead could rest in peace and the living could have dignity. He didn't care about the yard, the house, the rich or the poor, or even his own death.
He moved closer to Jiang Lin and smiled at her, "Wife, you really have an idea. This is the best way."
Jiang Lin felt a little embarrassed in front of the old man. She poked his arm around her and asked him to pay attention to the impact. "We support the continuation of the primary school and the clinic. The exhibition hall can be placed in the school."
Cheng Rushan nodded in agreement.
Cheng Yunzhi: "Then Dongsheng, tell the team?"
Cheng Rushan: "Just whatever Dad says." He didn't care that his parents were around, he lowered his head and kissed Jiang Lin on the cheek, then stood up and held Jiang Lin's shoulders, smiling: "I've had too much to drink, I'm going to sleep first."
Jiang Lin's cheeks felt like they were on fire, red and hot.
Yan Runzhi acted as if nothing had happened, and Cheng Yunzhi didn't react either, but Wensheng was very curious and also asked for a kiss.
"Mom, I want a kiss too."
Jiang Lin quickly said, "No, you can only kiss your wife, not your mother."
Wensheng looked at Yan Runzhi and others with confusion, then at Dabao and Xiaobao.
Dabao and Xiaobao kept laughing and did not support him this time. To be honest, they did not want to let their eldest brother kiss their mother. Only they and their father could kiss their mother.
Seeing that they did not support him, Vincent pouted and felt a little disappointed.
Dabao and Xiaobao came over and kissed him, "Okay, don't be unhappy."
Vincent kissed each of them again, "It's okay now."
Several people laughed. Yan Runzhi looked at Wensheng and thought that even if he couldn't get better, it didn't matter. Dabao and Xiaobao had a good relationship with him and would help take care of him in the future.
After resting and cleaning up, everyone went to bed early.
Yan Runzhi wanted Dabao and Xiaobao to stay with them in the west room. Now Wensheng was also with them, so the two children would be good companions. But Xiaobao refused. He was very insistent on this point. He could play with anyone during the day, but he had to see his parents at night, especially his mother.
Dabao agrees with him.
Dabao and Xiaobao went over to see that Daddy was sleeping in the middle. They should have been in the middle with Mom and Daddy on either side. But Daddy was already asleep. Grandma said that children should not disturb adults when they are sleeping because adults are very busy during the day.
They understood that since mom and dad slept in the middle, the two brothers had to separate, so Xiaobao naturally chose to sleep with his mom.
Dabao said, "Let's play scissors, paper, and hammer. Whoever wins will be on mom's side."
Xiaobao's eyes widened. Why was Dabao trying to snatch it from him and not letting him have it? He felt a little aggrieved.
Dabao said, "If you eat candy, I'll give you an extra piece, but you won't be allowed to eat this."
Xiaobao had no choice but to play rock-paper-scissors with him. When he lost, he went to sleep next to his father in a wronged mood.
Dabao happily slept on the head of the kang, leaving the middle seat for Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin was really impressed by how much drama they put on for sleeping. She first coaxed Xiaobao, kissed him, and told them stories. With her care, Xiaobao smiled for a while. Jiang Lin asked him to close his eyes, and he fell asleep in seconds. Dabao also fell asleep while listening to the story.
Jiang Lin wanted to hug Xiao Bao and sleep with her back against Cheng Rushan, but he suddenly sat up, took Xiao Bao out of her arms, and put him on the other side of him in the same quilt with Da Bao. Jiang Lin was about to speak, but he leaned over and pressed her down on the quilt.
Jiang Lin's heart skipped a beat. "...blow out the lights."
He stared at her with burning eyes, "Let me see you." He looked at her, seriously and attentively. His deep and quiet gaze made her feel uneasy.
"…Aren't you sleepy?"
"I'm not sleepy anymore when I see you." He smiled, bent down and kissed her until she was dizzy. Then he blew out the light and held her to sleep.
Jiang Lin: "..." You kissed me like this, don't you want to do something? You obviously can't stand it anymore! You still resist!
But Cheng Rushan could really hold on. He said he would hold her in his arms while she slept, and he did so. This made Jiang Lin feel hot and soft all over, and there was a little claw scratching in her heart.
This person definitely did it on purpose!
Jiang Lin felt that his body was burning hot, but his breathing sounded steady. She didn't believe he could sleep, so she provoked him.
Cheng Rushan: "..." He held her slender waist tightly, his voice hoarse, "Are you ready?"
He knew she was afraid of him, so he tried to give her time to get used to his body temperature and scent, his embrace and kisses. He knew how painful it was. If she was ready, he wouldn't mind having her now.
Jiang Lin's heart was racing, and she gave in in a second, "...No, let's go to sleep."
…
Two days later, Cheng Rushan found time to accompany Jiang Lin and took Dabao and Xiaobao to the Zhao family in Dachedianzi to formally pay their respects to their godfather and godmother. The two families became relatives and started to visit each other frequently.
Two days later, Dai Guohua drove a Liberation truck to Shuihuai Village to pick up Cheng Rushan. They had to go to several places and transport several loads of goods to the provincial military region, which would take at least half a month.
Dai Guohua was a retired soldier in his thirties, with a purple face and medium height. He had met Cheng Rushan before. Cheng Rushan told him that he had to go and pull two carts of tiles first.
Dai Guohua smiled and said, "Go to that small place to get those cement tiles? Why not go to Ying County to get red tiles? It's cheaper." Red tiles are fired pottery tiles, which are more beautiful and lighter than cement tiles.
Cheng Rushan immediately asked, "Can you get two cars?"
Dai Guohua: "No problem, but we have to load and unload it ourselves."
Cheng Rushan: "I'll go find some people." He went to tell Jiang Lin, and then called Shang Zonghui, Shang Baozhu and others.
Jiang Lin wanted to go too, but Cheng Rushan refused. "You can receive it at home. I will give you two trucks today."
Jiang Lin gave him all the money her family had. In fact, she wanted to set up a small brick and tile factory to supply several nearby communes. There were two types of bricks: one for firing and the other for making cement tiles. But now all the land was collectively owned, and she had no land to build a factory.
After pulling two carts of tiles, it was almost evening, and Yan Runzhi cooked dinner for Cheng Rushan and Dai Guohua to eat before leaving. The dumplings she made with gourd and dried shrimp fillings made Dai Guohua squint his eyes and keep saying how delicious they were.
"Aunt, I'll ask Rushan to bring you some flour and rice later." They often sent rice and flour to the army. If they had a good relationship, they could buy some from the army.
Yan Runzhi smiled and said, "There's no shortage of food at home, so don't mistreat yourselves out there, and don't make any mistakes."
"Don't worry, it won't happen."
Jiang Lin packed Cheng Rushan's bag and sent him to the car. Cheng Rushan threw the bag into the car and touched her face, "I can't come back for the redress meeting, you can make the decision. No matter what happens, don't be afraid. If it's hard to solve, wait for me to come back."
Jiang Lin nodded. She felt Dai Guohua looking at them with a smile in the car, so she quickly said, "Hurry up and get in the car."
Cheng Rushan smiled, turned around, opened the car door, jumped in, and waved at her.
Wensheng, Dabao and Xiaobao came back from playing outside. They saw Cheng Rushan's car leaving, so he led Dabao and Xiaobao to chase after it.
"Dad!" they shouted.
Jiang Lin hurriedly said: "You guys, come back!"
Wensheng stopped and looked back at her aggrievedly, "Mom, why didn't you call us when Dad left?"
Jiang Lin: "Aren't you three afraid that grandpa would let you recognize words, so you sneaked out to pick beans?"
The brigade was busy with the autumn harvest, and Cheng Yunzhi and Wensheng had not yet arranged work, so Cheng Yunzhi asked the children to learn two characters at home. Dabao and Xiaobao were detained at home, and they urged Wensheng to take them to pick sorghum ears and beans. They could earn work points for the brigade, or they could take them back.
As a result, they were not at home because Cheng Rushan went out. Who could they blame?
At this time, a member of the commune came to buy tiles, "Jiang Zhiqing, you have such good red tiles, can we buy red ones?"
Jiang Lin said: "This tile is a few cents more expensive, but it is just as useful as cement tile."
The tiles are good, but the shipping cost is high due to the long distance, so they are naturally more expensive. Cement tiles are 1.5 cents each, and red tiles are at least 1.8 cents. They are not cheap, but some people still buy them because they think they look better and more stylish. Even a circle of red tiles on the gray tiles is eye-catching.
Jiang Lin didn't care. It was a seller's market anyway, so she didn't have to worry about not being able to sell two truckloads of tiles. But that wasn't enough. Duan Changan still had to help her deliver the tiles when he was free.
Another night of autumn rain fell, and the members' need for tile laying became more and more urgent. Jiang Lin was very busy, leaving home early and returning late every day.
When I came back that night, I saw that Wensheng, Dabao and Xiaobao were all very angry and they were not playing happily in the yard like they used to.
She laughed and said, "What's going on?"
Yan Runzhi said softly: "He had a fight with someone."
Children are kind but also vicious. They are always discriminatory towards those who are different from themselves. They hear adults say that Wensheng is older than their father but not as smart as they are, which stimulates their sense of superiority. Whenever they see Wensheng, they chase him and call him "big fool, big fool".
Wensheng didn't care, as he was used to being called Dashazhou on the farm. Dabao and Xiaobao were very angry and yelled at them, but they yelled at him even more.
Dabao and Xiaobao are still young and can’t catch up or beat them, so Wensheng helps his younger brother to scare them.
As a result, the kids went home to complain, saying that Dabao and Xiaobao asked Dashazi to hit someone. Some adults knew that their children were naughty and swore, so they just gave them a few words of admonition, but some were not convinced.
Goudan and Gousheng's mother went to Yan Runzhi to complain and asked her to take good care of the child, saying things like "If you are a fool, just stay at home and don't go out and beat people up."
Yan Runzhi directly retorted to them, "Watch out for your kids and don't run after people with your bad mouths. I guarantee nothing will happen. Our Baoer's mother said that the first one to flirt is a bitch, and if he does, he will be beaten!"
The two women were so angry that they left cursing and saying that they would never let their children play with Dabao and Xiaobao again and would not buy Jiang Lin's tiles.
Jiang Lin asked Dabao and Xiaobao: "Which bad kid is this? Tell mom and I'll scold their parents! The child has no manners, so the parents are bastards."
Dabao and Xiaobao said a few things, and finally hung their heads and said, "I scolded them all."
The law does not punish everyone, and children are disobedient. Even if adults tell them not to curse, they will follow others just for fun. And there are a few adults who don't take children's cursing seriously, so children will naturally become worse. What's more, at this time, the country people are full of swear words. No matter adults or children, they all say x, butt and other things, which is very vulgar.
If you argue with them seriously, they will think you are troublesome. You can also scold them, and no one will stop you.
Cheng Yunzhi advised Jiang Lin: "They don't understand you when you first come back, but after a while they will know that Wensheng is a good boy and they will stop scolding him. It would be bad if you quarrel with them over such a small matter."
He felt that his daughter-in-law was an educated youth, thin-skinned and concerned about reputation, and it was not worth arguing with her. Moreover, he was used to it on the farm, and both adults and children called Wensheng Dashazhou, after all, he was indeed stupid.
Jiang Lin didn't want to indulge those women, but Yan Runzhi had already cursed back, so there was no need for her to go and curse again.
She said to Dabao and Xiaobao, "If Goudan and Gousheng don't come and apologize, I won't sell tiles to them anymore."
Dabao and Xiaobao immediately became happy.
Jiang Lin went to see Wensheng again. He was standing obediently aside waiting to be scolded by his mother.
Although he is like a child, he is actually more sensible than Dabao and Xiaobao. He is very obedient and never causes trouble. However, a man who is almost 40 years old and behaves like a child of six or seven years old will definitely be regarded as a fool.
Jiang Lin thought that it was not good for him to be with Dabao and Xiaobao, refusing to learn to read and running out to play all day.
She said to Dabao and Xiaobao, "Learn to read with Grandpa, and find out who scolded us. Write it down in your notebook, and I will settle the score with them one by one later."
Dabao and Xiaobao were a little hesitant.
Jiang Lin: "You can't do such a small thing? You can't even write your name?"
Dabao: "Yes, I will learn!"
Jiang Lin smiled and looked at Xiao Bao, the little rascal, and said, "If you can read and write six words, I will tell you a new story."
"Really?" Wensheng, Dabao and Xiaobao all came over, looking excited, "I learned it. Grandpa, hurry up and teach me how to read."
Seeing them take the bait, Jiang Lin laughed. Although Dabao and Xiaobao learned to memorize quickly from their grandparents, they didn't like learning to read and write, especially Xiaobao, who couldn't sit still as if he had horns on his butt.
As for Wensheng, Jiang Lin found that he was very well behaved, and he learned things very quickly. He often learned things in one go, and he liked to rush to do the work so that she could rest. He was very considerate. Unconsciously, Jiang Lin had already ignored his appearance and really regarded him as the older brother of Dabao and Xiaobao.
So Jiang Lin took him to repair roofs and lay tiles for people. If any child dared to scold him, she would immediately scold him back, scaring the children so much that they never dared to chase her and scold her again.
Jiang Lin took Wensheng out and about. Outsiders saw that he looked similar to Cheng Rushan, was older than Cheng Rushan, and was so close to Jiang Lin, so they couldn't help but talk about him in secret. However, given Cheng Rushan's ferocity and Jiang Lin's toughness, no one dared to gossip about them in person. Adults talking about other people's relationships and children calling others stupid are naturally different in nature. If Jiang Lin knew about it, she would definitely smash their family's cooking pot.
So even if Ma Huahua is successful, he would not dare to say such things publicly.
When some people heard Wensheng calling Jiang Lin mother, they not only stopped gossiping, but also felt sympathy for him. What a poor child. Especially when he worked with Jiang Lin, he was neat and upright, as innocent as a child. Gradually, most people sympathized with him, and no child chased him and called him a fool anymore.
There were also elderly people who remembered how energetic Wensheng was when he was a child, and they couldn't bear it, so they secretly provided Yan Runzhi with a folk remedy to try to see if it could help cure his illness. Of course, it was just psychological comfort and was of little use.
That day, Jiang Lin took him to Houmiaozi Village to lay tiles. The sun was setting, the autumn wind was cool, and the temperature was the most comfortable.
Wensheng picked a bunch of wild flowers and ran back, "Mom, this is for you." He stuffed it into the hands of Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin held it in her arms and said with a smile, "It's really beautiful."
As they were walking, a few women came back from work and saw Jiang Lin and Wensheng, and they couldn't help but whisper to each other.
The lock-headed wife caught up with Jiang Lin and asked, "Jiang Zhiqing, when will we lay the tiles at home?"
Jiang Lin said casually: "I will follow the list one by one. When did you buy the tiles?"
The lock wife mentioned a date, and Jiang Lin took out the notebook from her bag and checked it, but she was not there. The lock wife was puzzled and asked, "I told you a date a long time ago, why is it not there? Did you forget to write it down for me?"
Jiang Lin understood, "You said it, but you didn't pay."
When they were about to buy tiles, Jiang Lin had told them several times, "Let's go to Lawa tomorrow, and those who have made reservations should pay quickly, because I don't have the money to pay in advance."
Some people, if you don't explain clearly, will think that you have money and should pay for them, and they will drag their feet and not want to pay it back.
There is also the matter of buying tiles. It is obvious that their roofs are leaking, so they should be proactive. However, there are a few families who just sigh all day long, complaining about how bad the situation is. Even though Jiang Lin has already come up with ways to improve the situation, they still just sigh and take no real action.
To this kind of person, Jiang Lin said, "It's up to you. It's not my roof that's leaking."
Most people paid enthusiastically, because Jiang Lin said that tiles would be distributed in the order in which they were paid, and no one would be treated as special. Jiang Lin kept accounts, and some families paid a few yuan, more than ten yuan, and some people pooled together to buy tiles for two or three hundred yuan. The lock wife did not keep any records.
The wife of the lock was a little embarrassed, "Really? I remember paying it."
Jiang Lin: "You are paying for repairing the house, not for buying tiles."
A woman behind heard this and ran over, "Jiang Zhiqing, we want to buy some tiles too. We'll pay you tonight."
I couldn't stand it any longer. My neighbors all had tiles on their roofs, but my house was still covered with straw, which was really ugly. The problem was that it rained again two days ago. The rain was not heavy, but it still inevitably seeped in and leaked.
Jiang Lin told them to just go and she took Wensheng home.
Cheng Yunzhi took Dabao and Xiaobao to rub cotton and spin thread, and recited some Tang poetry and Three Character Classic at the same time.
Although Jiang Lin asked Cheng Yunzhi not to work, he couldn't sit still and couldn't work hard in the fields, so he applied to the brigade to help spin yarn to earn work points. The Miaozi Company of the Yanghong Brigade had a textile sideline, and they collected cotton, fluffed cotton, rolled cotton strips, spun yarn, wove cloth, and dyed it themselves.
"Mom, we learned a new poem." Dabao and Xiaobao ran over immediately when they saw Jiang Lin and Wensheng coming back.
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Recite it and listen to it."
Dabao stood up straight immediately, with his hands on his thighs, "I'm going back to my hometown. Mom, who do you think wrote this? What dynasty did it come from?"
Jiang Lin: "!!!" Do you think I really don't know how to do it? I just haven't used it for many years. I left home when I was young and came back when I was old. I still know how to do it.
She smiled at Xiaobao and said, "Come on, tell me first. I'll see if you can do it."
Xiaobao: "I know! A poem written on my return home, He Zhizhang, a great poet of the sweet era!"
"Hahaha." Jiang Lin and Dabao laughed. This kid just wants to eat candy all day long.
When reciting, his grandfather taught him, "Great poets of the Tang Dynasty." He added, "The Tang Dynasty must have been very sweet." Then he memorized it as a great poet of the sweet era.
Vincent said immediately, "I can do it too. I left home when I was young and returned when I was old..." He recited it once and raised his chin proudly, as if asking for praise.
Jiang Lin: "Vinsheng is great. Dabao and Xiaobao are also great."
Xiaobao: "Mom, is it a candy as a reward?"
Jiang Lin: "Just reward you with a Tang Dynasty, which will be sweet for three hundred years."
Xiao Bao curled his lips: "Linlin is so cunning."
Yan Runzhi was already preparing to cook, and said with a smile: "Linlin has been trained by you, and she is always on guard against you, a little rascal."
Jiang Lin washed her hands and face and prepared to eat.
Dinner is egg dumpling soup. Use a little oil and a handful of chopped green onions to stir-fry the pan, add the chopped tomatoes to stir-fry until the oil turns red, then add water and bring to a boil, pour the already mixed dough into the pan, then pour in the egg liquid, sprinkle with a handful of chopped spinach or other green leafy vegetables, stir well and it can be served.
It tastes delicious. Jiang Lin can drink two big bowls without having to eat any staple food.
Seeing that she was eating with relish, Yan Runzhi wanted to tempt her, "There's no ground beans. It would taste better if you put some small pieces of ground beans in it." Ground beans are potatoes, and the old lady likes to call them ground eggs or ground beans.
Jiang Lin: "Let's grow some potatoes too."
Yan Runzhi: "We plant less here, and if we don't plant more, the size will get smaller and smaller, which is not cost-effective."
Potatoes are crops that like high temperatures and are generally bred and planted in large areas in the northeast and northwest. In places with high temperatures, the seeds will degenerate, becoming smaller every year and becoming small beans after two years. Planting potatoes locally is considered a waste of space, so it is better to plant squash and the like, which can be stored and eaten throughout the winter.
In addition to the dumpling soup, Yan Runzhi also made some pumpkin cakes. The small pumpkin of the zucchini family is also a good match with eggs. They are grated into shreds, sprinkled with salt, and added with egg flour, and fried in oil. They are sweet and delicious. There is little oil and it is not greasy, but Yan Runzhi still made sauce to dip it in.
As long as Jiang Lin and the children exclaimed in admiration for the deliciousness of the food, she would feel happy and blessed in her heart.
For her, the greatest happiness is family reunion and having many children and grandchildren.
Jiang Lin had just finished eating when several women came to pay, including Suo Tou's wife and Gou Sheng Niang.
After dinner, Cheng Yunzhi took Wensheng, Dabao and Xiaobao out for a walk, while Jiang Lin received a few women.
Most people paid the money happily and thanked Jiang Lin for her help. However, there were a few who were either jealous or nitpicking. They always found fault and demanded that every tile be smooth and flat, without sand holes, etc.
When he saw that Jiang Lin's family had improved their food, he even felt extremely uncomfortable because the eggs he was reluctant to eat were eaten by Jiang Lin's family, and his words were inevitably full of sourness.
One of them is the Lock Wife.
"Jiang Zhiqing, my family is struggling to get food. Do you think we can hold off on the money? I'll give it to you after the grain is distributed at the end of the year?" Seeing the egg pancakes on the table at Jiang Lin's house, Suotou's wife felt bad. She felt like she was eating her own meat. Landlord wives are landlord wives. No one would eat the eggs if they were to exchange for money, but they ate them up like this. What a waste!
Jiang Lin: "Okay."
The wife of the locksmith was pleased. She said she didn't buy on credit, but now she was buying on credit for herself. "Then let's make a deal. I originally wanted to buy fifty ridge tiles, but now I'll add thirty."
Jiang Lin: “Okay.”
The wife of Suotou was even happier. "Jiang Zhiqing, how about I add another hundred flat tiles? Our home..."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "It's all right. Even if you want 10,000 pieces, that's fine."
"Hmm?" The wife of the lock felt something was wrong. "Jiang Zhiqing, what do you mean?"
Jiang Lin: "Let's talk about it at the end of the year."
The wife of the lock head tilted her head back because of the choking, and immediately became unhappy, "I buy tiles and you make money, why are you still like this? If I don't buy your tiles, can you eat egg pancakes?"
Seeing how good she felt about herself, Jiang Lin said bluntly, "I'm talking to you... I don't know your name. You pay for the tiles, but if you don't pay, you're just wasting my time. You don't have to look for me anymore. I won't make money from you, okay? You should go find someone else. Goodbye."
You act like you support my family, how can you be so arrogant? What does it have to do with you if I eat omelette?
How much can I earn from buying those tiles?
"Why are you so rude? How can you do business like this?" The wife of the locksmith became even more unhappy and began to blame Jiang Lin. She spoke loudly to let other women hear her and told them not to buy tiles from Jiang Lin. "She just wants to make money. I don't know how much she wants to earn from us. We should buy from others."
Seeing that she was here to cause trouble, Yan Runzhi wanted to come to help, but Jiang Lin told her to just eat.
Just a shrew, she can handle it herself.
If the lock-head wife was born and raised here, she would definitely swallow her anger and endure it due to the pressure and fear of being ostracized by the villagers.
But Jiang Lin is not afraid. She repairs roofs and sells tiles first to make money, not for charity or to buy people's praise. Only when she makes money and is profitable will she want to expand and build a good reputation.
She loved this family, but that didn't mean she loved this village. She just regarded the village as a place to stay, and she would not be entangled in the social etiquette of the village like others and had to compromise. Besides, she was an educated youth, and her husband's family had a bad background, so the relationship with the villagers was already delicate, so she didn't care.
No one lives for anyone else, and no one can shit on anyone else's head!
Jiang Lin smiled and said to the lock wife, "If you are sincere in buying, I will help you. If you come to make trouble, get out of here as soon as possible. I am afraid I will not be able to help but beat you!"
The lock's wife couldn't help but shudder when she thought of beating Liu Honghua.
Jiang Lin said to the wives, "If you listen to her, go buy it somewhere else. Fifty cents a tile is good. Can it fly from the tile factory to your roof automatically? You need to hire someone to approve it, use a tractor to transport it, and pay them wages. Don't you have to pay for all this? If you don't add three or four cents to a tile, it really won't fly. Go get the approval and pull the tiles yourself, go ahead!"
Immediately, a woman said she would not listen to other people's nonsense, "Jiang Zhiqing, we are here to pay the money, please help us."
The autumn rain is continuous and the rooftop at home doesn't wait for anyone.
Seeing them paying, the wife of the locksmith couldn't help but said sarcastically, "It's quite interesting. Money is earned by outsiders? Her family has earned several thousand yuan. Now they have two truckloads of tiles in stock. What's wrong with selling them to us on credit first?"
Jiang Lin was about to slap her out when Cheng Yulian came in from outside and yelled at the lock's wife, "You're taking advantage of others. What's the matter? You want others to buy tiles for you without spending money? Why don't you buy tiles from all over the village? Didn't you just go to someone else's house to do some flattery? Why are you coming here again? Are you looking for trouble on purpose?"
Cheng Yulian is a veteran of many battles. She knew which side this person was leaning towards as soon as she saw her. Suo Tou's wife was from the second team. She was a lackey and must have come to cause trouble for Jiang Lin.
The lock's wife still wanted to argue, saying that she had repaired the roof and needed to buy tiles, but she wanted to buy some red tiles on credit first and then go back to lay the tiles. Little did she know that Jiang Lin had such a bad attitude.
Cheng Yulian scolded, "Get lost, you are still pretending. Why don't you just go to Ma Kaihua's to buy some? I haven't seen you guys buying tiles for everyone in all these years, and now you come here to act like a big shot?"
Without a tractor or truck, it is not cost-effective to transport goods to distant places. Besides, since they are all from the same village, the relationships between them are complicated and sometimes annoying. In the final analysis, it is because they cannot make a lot of money, and the village cadres do not like to make a fuss. They think it is enough to take care of their own affairs.
Now that Jiang Lin is doing it, Ma Kaihua thinks she is stealing her son's business. She also teamed up with Cheng Ruhai to repair roofs and lay tiles for others, but unfortunately they can never compete with Jiang Lin.
Ma Kaihua asked Cheng Fuwan to use his connections in the commune to buy tiles from Dongshan and ask the tile factory not to sell to Jiang Lin. This way, all the business within a radius of 20 to 30 miles would be his. Unfortunately, the tile factory was not in the same commune as them and would not buy it. She also wanted Cheng Fugui to warn Duan Changan not to help Jiang Lin.
Cheng Fugui has been busy trying to get a transfer to another county as a cadre recently, and has no time to pay attention to such a small matter.
Therefore, Ma Kaihua used her own brains and understood that Suotou's wife was looking for trouble with Jiang Lin, so that other women would not buy tiles from her. She thought she was smart, and even if Jiang Lin knew, it would be useless, because she didn't do anything anyway, and if she turned against Suotou's wife just because of a few sarcastic words, that would be uncultured, and others would not buy tiles from her.
She wanted Jiang Lin to smash two truckloads of tiles in her hands!
Little did she know that Cheng Yulian saw through the twists and turns at a glance. She just couldn't stand seeing those people showing off!
When Suo Tou's wife saw Cheng Yulian coming to scold her, she was so scared that she ran away.
Cheng Yulian said to Jiang Lin, "Jiang Zhiqing, don't pay attention to these people. If your wife makes trouble in the future, tell me and I will scold them. They are really mean. They don't live a good life themselves, but stare at others all day long! Bad habits!"
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Luckily you came, I was about to beat her up."
Everybody laughed.
Jiang Lin looked at Gou Sheng's mother again and asked, "What's going on with your Gou Sheng chasing after our Wen Sheng and scolding him?"
Gou Sheng's mother hurriedly smiled and said, "They are just ignorant children who are playing around. We adults don't want to get involved with them."
Jiang Lin: "Didn't you come to my house?"
Gousheng's mother quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry Jiang Zhiqing, I didn't know before. My mother-in-law scolded me after I got home, and I didn't think it was good. I didn't have time to tell you."
After she went to see Yan Runzhi that day, she was told by the neighboring merchant lady when she returned home not to flirt with Jiang Lin or she would get beaten. Later, she felt embarrassed when she saw Wensheng doing that.
Seeing that she apologized, Jiang Lin didn't bother to argue with her. He asked her to pay the money and noted it down and he would send her the tiles later.
After the women who paid the money left, Jiang Lin invited Cheng Yulian to sit inside.
Cheng Yulian said: "The brigade has entrusted me to ask about the redress conference."
Cheng Fujun asked Cheng Yunzhi, who only said that he should ask Dongsheng's wife for help. Cheng Fujun, a man, couldn't ask a wife, so he asked Cheng Yulian to ask.
Jiang Lin was waiting for this to happen, so she asked the team's opinion first.
Cheng Yulian said, "The county committee will send cadres to preside over the work." It was not difficult for the brigade to hold a meeting. It would be held anyway. It was just a meeting to clear the name of Cheng Yunzhi's family. The key was the property, especially the yard.
Jiang Lin understood, "Director, we are not unreasonable. What's done is done. There's no point in holding on to it. But you see, my parents are old and both are ill, and my eldest brother can't support himself. Shouldn't the brigade have a charter to determine how to subsidize them in the future?"
Cheng Yulian: "Okay, I'll apply for this."
Jiang Lin stated her other requests, "Now the brigade and production teams can still use the yard, but they need to compensate our family for daily necessities on a quarterly basis." After she finished speaking, she paused and looked at Cheng Yulian.
Cheng Yulian: "I think so."
Jiang Lin continued, "Can you give us a separate courtyard in the school, with a few rooms, so that we can display our ancestors' deeds over the years and redress their names, so that people know that we are doing it openly and honestly, so that no one will gossip about it or anything like that."
Jiang Lin emphasized what she did during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and was afraid that people would find fault with her after she was rehabilitated, saying that her actions were not justified. She did not mention the injuries she suffered during the movement at all, so as not to irritate certain cadres.
Cheng Yulian sighed, "It's only natural for you to say that." The request was not excessive at all.
"Some old furniture, livestock and grain that were confiscated, etc., are definitely not returned now. Please convert them into grain and work points and return them to us quarterly. I also hope you can give us a few acres of private land." Jiang Lin: "If you can agree, we will do this."
The best outcome would be compensation in the form of land, work points, food and other living materials. After all, there is great flexibility in the return of property.
Cheng Yulian wrote everything down, then said goodbye to Jiang Lin and went to the brigade, where Cheng Fujun, Cheng Fulian and others were waiting.
Cheng Yulian talked about it, and Cheng Fujun thought it was okay.
Cheng Fuwan disagreed, "I have to pay for using his house? What kind of style is this? Isn't this just the habit of landlords?"
"Stop talking about landlords, they are revolutionary gentry!" Cheng Yulian retorted unceremoniously. They have been rehabilitated, and you are still looking for trouble here. How can you be so mean?
After discussion, Cheng Fujun and Cheng Fulian agreed to continue using the large courtyard, but they had to compensate Cheng Rushan's family. First, they redeemed Cheng Rushan's house for 200 yuan and gave them five mu of private land. In addition, they gave them money, grain, pork, oil, cotton and other supplies on a quarterly basis to ensure the lives of Cheng Yunzhi, Yan Runzhi and Cheng Ruzhou. At the same time, they opened three exhibition rooms in the primary school to compile and record the deeds of the Cheng and Yan families. They did not ask for an explanation of the injuries they suffered during the movement, so they did not need to feel uncomfortable.
Cheng Fuwan disagreed. "If the commune doesn't approve it, why should we give them private plots, money and food? This is special treatment!"
Cheng Fujun said: "This matter has nothing to do with policy, we can still make the decision. The brigade revolutionary committee will vote to decide." The commune will build a brigade headquarters and a production team headquarters? How can so many good houses be built without tens of thousands of yuan? In order to prevent a production team from having objections, even if it is within the scope of the brigade, the brigade can pay for it from the reserved grain.
If it was a vote, it would basically pass, and Cheng Fuwan could only stare blankly.
After discussing it, Cheng Fujun asked Cheng Yulian to talk to Jiang Lin. When Jiang Lin agreed, accountant Wang Gang drafted a document and sent three copies to the county revolutionary committee and the commune revolutionary committee, respectively, to invite someone from the county to preside over the redress work.
A few days later, in the morning, Jiang Lin and Wensheng were laying roofs for people when they heard a loud speaker shouting, "Attention all members, attention all members, County Revolutionary Committee Secretary Zhao and Commune Secretary Cheng Fugui have gone to the countryside to preside over the rehabilitation of Cheng Yi, Cheng Rongzhi, and Cheng Yunzhi's family. After dinner tonight, come to the field of the brigade headquarters to hold a general meeting of all members! General meeting of all members!"
The loudspeaker shouted over and over again, just like the loudspeakers used to shout at the meetings criticizing D in the past, with the same tune.
Shang Zonghui clapped his hands happily, "Jiang Zhiqing, that's great, congratulations."
Jiang Lin was also genuinely happy. She looked at Wensheng, but saw that he was tilting his head with a confused look on his face. Slowly his eyes began to change, staring straight at a certain place. His face became gloomy, his teeth were clenched, and his hands began to tremble.
Jiang Lin was startled and called him softly, "Wensheng, what are you thinking about? Mom is thirsty, let's go downstairs and drink some water."
But he didn't respond.
Jiang Lin slowly approached and patted his arm gently, "Let's go down."
Cheng Ruzhou suddenly threw her to the roof and punched her in the face.
"Stop!" Shang Zonghui shouted in fear.
"Vinsheng!" Jiang Lin called him immediately.
Cheng Ruzhou's fist brushed against her soft hair and suddenly changed direction, smashing hard on the tile next to him.
Jiang Lin widened her eyes, only to see that his eyes were as dark as an ancient well. She gently comforted him, "Wensheng, I am your mother."
He looked at her coldly, with violent emotions surging in his eyes. He was no longer the familiar Wensheng. He grasped her slender neck with his big hands, and then pushed her away with great force. His strength was so great that Jiang Lin rolled over.
Shang Zonghui rushed over and grabbed her, and both of them broke out in cold sweats.
Shang Zonghui: "Jiang Zhiqing, please go down quickly."
Jiang Lin: "What about Wensheng?"
Shang Zonghui: "I'm staring at him."
Cheng Ruzhou suddenly punched the tiles. He punched dozens of times as if he didn't feel any pain, breaking several cement tiles and his hands were covered in blood.
Jiang Lin couldn't help but rush over and grab his hand, "Vincent, Vincent, stop smashing it!"
He turned his head to look at her, his eyes were strange and cold, and he fainted the next moment.
Jiang Lin supported him but did not dare to wake him up immediately, so Shang Zonghui called for people to come and carry him down together.
Jiang Lin breathed a sigh of relief when he landed safely. Shang Zonghui helped carry Cheng Ruzhou back.
Yan Runzhi was embroidering at home and Cheng Yunzhi was spinning yarn. They were shocked to see them bringing Wensheng back.
"What's the matter?"
Jiang Lin said: "I guess he was shocked and suddenly became a different person." She briefly recounted what had just happened.
Cheng Yunzhi hurriedly helped to carry him to the kang, and said with a heavy face: "It hasn't happened in so many years, I thought it would never happen again."
"Old man, what's going on?"
Cheng Yunzhi said: "In the winter of the year when my eldest brother passed away, Wensheng suddenly changed into a different person. He didn't recognize any relatives. He beat up two farm cadres who always picked on my eldest brother. One broke his leg and the other broke his nose. Later, both of them were transferred to other units. He was locked up in solitary confinement for a month in the farm, and when he came out, he was even more confused."
Jiang Lin: "It seems that something will stimulate him."
Cheng Yunzhi said: "From now on, I will accompany him. Unless he is awake, don't come near him."
Once, some cadres suspected that he was pretending to be stupid, which made Cheng Yunzhi, who never lost his temper, furious. What does a child in his early teens know about pretending to be stupid? And how could he pretend for more than 20 years? He turned himself into a child who was loved by his parents and had no worries, but when he was provoked, he became a revenger, ignoring his relatives and having no rationality. He was not a great man like Goujian, so where did he get such forbearance and wisdom?
He is really crazy.
Although Cheng Yunzhi felt that he would not hit anyone randomly, he was still afraid of accidents, so it would be better for him to guard it himself.
Jiang Lin: "Zonghui, don't tell anyone else." If the villagers knew, they would discriminate against and exclude him even more, and it would also be a disguised way of provoking him.
Shang Zonghui: "Don't worry, I know." He continued to lay tiles.
After Dabao and Xiaobao came back, Jiang Lin reminded them again, asking them to stay away from brother Wensheng for the time being and wait until he was back to normal before playing together.
Dabao: "Vinsheng is so pitiful, how can he get better?"
Xiaobao: "I'm willing to give him half of the candy."
In the afternoon, the leaders came to the village, and the brigade sent someone to invite Cheng Yunzhi and Jiang Lin, saying that the county leaders had come and wanted to see them.
Yan Runzhi said, "You go, I'll take care of Wensheng, it's okay."
Cheng Yunzhi: "No, you go, I'll be at home. I'll just say my leg is hurting and I can't walk."
Yan Runzhi stayed to accompany him, and Jiang Lin took Dabao and Xiaobao with them.
Secretary Zhao came in a jeep, accompanied by Cheng Fugui and others, and was surrounded by a large crowd. Together with the cadres of the Yanghong Brigade, it was a large group of people, and it was very lively.
Jiang Lin brought Dabao and Xiaobao over, and someone immediately shouted, "Here they come!"
The large group of people immediately made way to let them pass.
Secretary Zhao had a very friendly face. He smiled when he saw Jiang Lin and said, "This is the educated youth named Jiang?"
Jiang Lin walked up to greet Secretary Zhao.
Secretary Zhao took the initiative to shake her hand and said, "Xiao Jiang is an educated youth with vision and aspirations, very good."
Jiang Lin: "Thank you, Secretary. My father has had a leg disease these days. I am embarrassed to come out with a limp. It doesn't look good. So I brought my children here to thank Secretary Zhao."
Cheng Fugui and Cheng Fuwan looked unhappy, thinking that Cheng Yunzhi was doing it on purpose and giving them a cold look. How could this be possible!
Just as Cheng Fuwan was about to speak, Cheng Fugui glared at him.
Secretary Zhao smiled and said, "It's okay, let's go and take a look together."
Cheng Fugui said, "Secretary, why don't we meet at the meeting tonight? It will be the same if I have someone carry him over then."
When I walked in and saw Cheng Yunzhi, I wondered why he was so arrogant!
Secretary Zhao insisted that he was in charge of the united front work in the county and that he would come down to preside over the rehabilitation meeting. Since the case had been rehabilitated, a rehabilitation meeting must be held, the property must be returned, the people must be condoled, and the exhibition room must be approved. It had to be done well and thoroughly, otherwise it would be better not to do it.
Seeing that he insisted, Cheng Fugui had no choice but to agree.
Secretary Zhao held Dabao and Xiaobao's hands affectionately. The two children looked so beautiful and identical, and anyone would be surprised. The staff of the Ministry of Culture who came with them took photos immediately and published them in the newspaper.
A group of people accompanied Secretary Zhao to Jiang Lin's home. There was also a gong and drum team organized by Cheng Fuwan playing music. It was so festive that people who didn't know would think it was a wedding. All the elderly and children in the village who didn't go to work came out to watch the fun.
When they arrived at the door, Cheng Fugui immediately stepped forward and together with Cheng Fuwan, pushed the door open and invited Secretary Zhao in. Jiang Lin, the proper hostess, was pushed to the back.
Someone patted her on the shoulder and asked with a smile, "Jiang Zhiqing?"
Jiang Lin turned her head and saw a fashionable and beautiful young woman in front of her. She was wearing a blue work suit and had an embroidered handkerchief tied around her neck. It turned out to be Zeng Hongjie. She said in surprise, "Secretary Zeng, what a coincidence."
Zeng Hongjie smiled and said, "I'm from the Cultural Center, so this matter is under our jurisdiction."
Jiang Lin hurriedly invited her home, "We have made a lot more, and we plan to take them to the city when we have time to ask the people at the supply and marketing cooperative to help sell them."
Zeng Hongjie's eyes sparkled: "Then I'll take a look first and pick a few that I like."
Jiang Lin led her in. Zeng Hongjie was pleasantly surprised to see the garden full of seasonal flowers. "What a beautiful little yard."
Jiang Lin: "My mother and father took care of everything."
Zeng Hongjie looked at her in surprise. She had never seen an educated youth who went to the countryside to marry a farmer and happily call him father and mother. What's more, if he came from a bad background, he would usually be laughed at and seen as decadent. She didn't expect Jiang Lin to be so calm and composed. She was really unique.
Secretary Zhao was already being escorted into the house by a group of people.
When Cheng Yunzhi and Yan Runzhi in the west room heard this, they hurried out to greet them, not wanting them to see Wensheng like that.
As soon as the two men got off the ground, the first people they saw were the brothers Cheng Fugui and Cheng Fuwan. When they met Cheng Fugui's gloomy eyes, Cheng Yunzhi couldn't move a step and didn't want to go over and associate with them!
Secretary Zhao smiled broadly, "Comrade Cheng Yunzhi, hello."
The word "comrade" was like a bolt of lightning to Cheng Yunzhi.
He never expected that during his lifetime he could be called a comrade, rather than a bad landlord, a landlord gangster, etc.
Secretary Zhao immediately handed Dabao and Xiaobao to Yan Runzhi, and stepped forward to hold Cheng Yunzhi's hands. "You have a problem with your legs. Find time to go to the county hospital for a check-up. The sooner you get treated, the sooner you will recover."
Cheng Yunzhi's throat was blocked by something, his eyes were red, and he kept nodding but couldn't utter a word. He used all his strength to restrain himself from losing his composure like he did on the farm.
Yan Runzhi said: "Don't mind Secretary Zhao. The old man feels the glory of the leader and is very happy."
Cheng Fuwan: "Where is Cheng Ruzhou? The secretary came to show concern, why didn't he come?"
Yan Runzhi said hurriedly: "He is like a child, greedy and sleepy. He is sleeping on the kang now."
Secretary Zhao had learned before he came that Cheng Ruzhou's IQ was about the same as that of a six or seven-year-old child. He didn't talk about things that hurt or were unpleasant, but only about happy things, such as redress, etc.
The room was not very big, and there were so many people that it seemed crowded. Secretary Zhao said a few warm words, saying that there would be a meeting in the evening and that they could all go then, and then he wanted to leave.
Cheng Yunzhi nodded: "Thank you for the Party's care. I will go. I promise to go."
Secretary Zhao said goodbye and Cheng Yunzhi hurriedly saw him out. Yan Runzhi followed with Dabao and Xiaobao. Jiang Lin and Zeng Hongjie were talking in the yard and saw them off quickly.
Cheng Fugui and Cheng Fuwan fell behind.
Cheng Ruzhou, who was lying on the kang, suddenly jumped up and rushed out. When he passed by the stove, he picked up the kitchen knife on the chopping board, jumped out of the door of the main room in three or two steps, and slashed at Cheng Fugui's neck with the knife.
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